A Flaw in the Glass
by Rukia-Chappi-Chan
Summary: She was pretty. She had high grades. She was rich. She was athletic. She was kind and gentle. She was perfect. But it’s not possible to be perfect. That’s what Kurosaki Ichigo thought. Now, he’s determined to find at least one flaw in Kuchiki Rukia.
1. The New Girl

_**Perfect**_** – **_adj., n. _**pur**-fikt; _v. _per-**fekt**_entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings_: _conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type_

* * *

"Onii-chan, what about breakfast?" Yuzu called out to her brother. Ichigo grabbed his white shoulder bag that hung on a red and white strap and comically avoided his father's kick.

"Sorry Yuzu, I'm already running late, bye!" he said hurriedly before slamming the sliding door. He swapped his slippers with his shoes and then opened the front door to fresh air. He swung his bag so that it rested on his left shoulder and right hip. It bounced up and down as he ran towards school. He saw Mizuiro and started to slow down.

"Oi! Mizuiro!" the short boy with black hair turned around, his phone in hand. His face brightened up and he started to wave.

"Kurosaki-kun! Ohayou gozaimasu!" Ichigo jogged a bit to keep up and then started to pant. He was half way to school now. He could take a break. "So how was your Sunday?" Mizuiro asked, the buttons on his phone beeping silently under the pressure of his small fingers. Ichigo just stared off into space blankly, his face a very funny sight to see.

"Boring. My dad made me go on a freaking date with him. It was supposedly, 'father-son' _bonding _time." Mizuiro chuckled as he glanced up at Ichigo from the corner of his eye. "What about you, Mizu?"

"Oh, I just went to the beach with my older girlfriend. It was okay I suppose," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"_Just _ok? Man, you sad, sad boy," Ichigo said jokingly. Mizuiro lightly hit his shoulder before looking back down at the small screen of his mobile. Ichigo kept walking beside Mizuiro, basking in the comfortable silence. He looked at his school that was now in the distance. His Saturday was ruined since it was meant to be a half-day at school but then it was his class's turn to clean up. Unfortunately, everyone had left, claiming they were busy, so Ichigo was left alone to clean the whole school, along with another class. But he was responsible for his own class.

And his Sunday was no better since he was forced to spend the day fishing with his father. It was actually worse. He groaned as he remembered his day with him.

* * *

"Ichigo my son! Look at this!" Isshin called out triumphantly. The father and son were facing opposite sides on the boat, Ichigo with his shoulders hunched with a fishing pole in his hands as his father was board-stiff, face beaming with pride. Ichigo slowly turned around, and then zoomed to the absolute end of the boat. His arms were in front of him at funny angles as he tried to shield himself from his dad. He was holding a goddamn HUGE snail that was the size of 4 fists put together!

"Aren't you proud of me? I found it in between these rocks!" their boat that was in the centre in the lake had somehow drifted to the edge. Ichigo's arms flailed about as his hands went all over the place in the air.

"P-Put that away, GODDAMMIT, DAD!!" Ichigo screamed. Isshin laughed and called his son a coward before leaning over the edge of the boat, and supposedly putting the snail back. Ichigo watched, as his father seemed to be leaning over the edge for _too _long. His eye twitched before he sighed and slowly crawled to the other end of the boat. He glanced over his father's shoulder and became overwhelmed by a shade of pale white against a background of dark blue.

His father, believe it or not, was playing with the snail. As the snail tried desperately to go between the rocks for sanctuary, _he _was picking the snail up, listening to that sickening squelching sound, and then putting it back down. Over and _over _again. And he was _giggling_.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!"

* * *

Right after that, as Ichigo remembered, Isshin's dad wanted to see what it was like to drown, so being the crazy man he was…

He capsized the boat.

Ichigo beat him to a pulp after that. He sighed in content as he remembered that part. He snapped out of his dreaming reverie before realizing he was already at school. He slowly took his time going up the stairs as Mizuiro was beside him, fluently moving his thumbs all over the button pad.

"Yo, Mizuiro," Ichigo drawled out.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" Mizuiro said politely.

"Are those older girlfriends of yours, actually _real_, or are they just 1 month flings?" he said in a bored tone as he watched his friend in the corner of his eye. Mizuiro shrugged.

"Flings, I guess."

"Hi 5 bro," Ichigo said triumphantly before giving a firm clap on Mizuiro's waiting hand. Ichigo looked on ahead in the hallways before spotting some red drift in and out of his view over the sea of boring black and brown.

"Renji, oi!" Ichigo called out. The red head paused and started looking around. Ichigo put his fingers to his mouth and made a large whistling noise that pierced many people's ears. Renji finally looked his way and smirked as he gave a small lazy salute of his hand. Mizuiro smiled up at the tall red head.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Abarai-kun."

"Yo Ichigo, Mizu." They continued to walk in a line of 3 as Renji and Ichigo just started to chatter about non-important things.

"Oh yea, carrot-top, how was your Sunday?" Renji questioned. Mizuiro and Renji sweat-dropped as Ichigo just slumped to the nearest wall and started to relentlessly bang his head on the wall. "Yo, you coulda just said it was crap bro…" Renji said.

"Oi!! Ichigo, Renji! Mizuiro!" Ichigo and Renji turned around and gave the usual lazy salute while Madarame Ikkaku smirked at them and saluted with a firmer flick of his wrist, his wooden sword slung over his shoulder with his other hand. His best mate Ayasegawa Yumichika gave them a dashing smile.

"Ichigo-kun, Renji-kun, Mizuiro-kun, ohayou!" Yumichika said gracefully as he flicked his hair to the side. Ichigo smirked as Ikkaku held his sword with pride.

"Ikkaku, one day, when the teacher's ain't scared of ya, they're gonna bust your ass so bad cause of that sword," Ichigo mocked. Ikkaku stood in front of him and just shrugged.

"It ain't a real one, they shouldn't care." Renji chuckled and the 5 walked back to class. They greeted Uryuu and Sado and then joined them. They were chatting mildly until they heard the green classroom doors slide open with a crack. All 7 heads turned towards the door.

Hitsugaya Toshiro was in a bad mood.

"Yo, Toshiro, wassup?" Ichigo queered. An icy glare was thrown his way as the room temperature dropped a couple of degrees. He slammed his bag onto the table Ichigo landed his ass on and dumped himself on his chair, his arm slung behind the chair backrest.

"My brother drives me insane," Toshiro gritted out as he massaged his temples. Ichigo pondered what he was talking about until his eyes shone with realization.

"You talking bout Grimmjow? He's cool."

"He's a retarded little piece of-" a feminine hand slapped over Toshiro's mouth and his eyes widened.

"Shiro-chan, that's not nice to chat about your brother like that," Momo said in an innocent manner that just screamed out, 'I did nothing but good intentions.' He jerked his head away and half-shouted at her.

"It's not Shiro-chan bed-wetter Mo-" She started to make a high pitched squeal as she hit his head over and over again with her school bag.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed in a high pitch. The guys all cringed as their eardrums vibrated.

"Sugoi Momo-chan! You go girl!" Matsumoto Rangiku called out from the other side of the classroom. She stood there with Tatsuki and Orihime and her other friend Nell. Everyone started to sit back down in his or her original seats as Ochi-sensei had entered the classroom. Ichigo sat in his usual seat that was close to the window, with the seat on his left empty. Nobody wanted to sit near Ichigo, since they knew he could have mood swings. And nasty ones too.

"Ohayou, minna-san! Ogenki desu ka?" Ochi-sensei said cheerfully as she raised her class roll/clip board up high. There were groans and mumbles here and there. Her happy expression dropped. "Hm, everyone here huh? That's unusual…" the class sweat-dropped. "Ok, anyways, let's get started on Japanese literature in poetry!"

"Somebody kill me now…" Ichigo mumbled before slumping onto his desk, his lanky long arms dangling over the edge. Ikkaku sat behind him and started to prod him with his wooden sword.

"I could do that for-"

"Figure of speech! Figure of speech Ikkaku!" Ichigo muttered warningly. Ikkaku snickered and returned his attention to the board. Orihime, who had the window seat, looked out of the clear glass that prevented her from breathing in the outside air. Her eyes widened as she saw a limo parked outside her school gates. She blinked thoroughly and it was gone. She raised a brow and leaned over the Rangiku who was next to her. As Orihime whispered her short encounter, Rangiku just waved it off as a parking car. Orihime gave a small sigh before agreeing with her. Then, Juushirou had stepped into the room and excused himself, sliding the green door behind him closed. He tiptoed over to Ochi-sensei after waving at the class enthusiastically. He started to talk to her in a quiet voice as all the students started to go on with their normal lives.

"Ichigo, wanna hang by the park later on?" Renji said lazily, leaning over. Ichigo just shrugged, looking at the parasite leaning near him on the right.

"I didn't bring my skater. What bout you?"

"Meh, we can meet at 5 or something after a quick shower at home." Renji returned to his normal position and watched Ichigo, waiting for an answer.

"Sounds cool, tell the others."

"No."

"What the fuck?"

"I'm too lazy."

"You sleazy little son of a-"

"Ok guys, after that little chat with Ukitake-sensei, shall we continue?" she said loudly, purposefully stopping Ichigo mid-sentence. Everyone shifted around till they were properly facing the front again. Ochi-sensei smiled and resumed her work.

* * *

"So you guys comin' after school?" Ichigo drawled, leaning against his table as his hands were shoved in his pocket. His badass friends just shrugged and nodded.

"Yea, ok."

"I guess it'll be fun."

"I'll just relax under the shade, I don't want to ruin my beautiful skin."

"I'm not going," Toshiro stated bluntly as he continued to eat from his bento box.

"Why man?!" Ichigo half-shouted. Toshiro glared up at his towering figure and continued eating.

"Yes, I don't think I'll be coming either," Uryuu said silently as he pushed the rim of his glasses up. Sado nodded.

"Not you too Chad!" Renji said exasperatedly. Mizuiro was in his own messaging world while Keigo said something about his sister kicking his ass. They all jumped slightly as they heard the loud laughing of Rangiku that was across the room. They all just gave annoyed looks and then went back to their own chatter. Ichigo just stared at the classroom doors with no intention really. He just stared into space, thinking. Then, he straightened up slightly as the doors opened to reveal someone he didn't know. Sure, he was bad with faces and names, but he knew she wasn't around here. She couldn't have been. He would have noticed her.

His eyes followed her every movement as she looked around the classroom with searching amethyst eyes. Her smooth pale skin made contrast against her jet-black hair. Ichigo's lips twitched as he realized how short she was. She timidly walked over to Orihime and tapped her on the shoulder lightly.

Wonder what she wants…

* * *

"A-ano… sumimasen?" the girl said softly. Orihime turned around and the rest of the girls looked at her. "E-eh… I'm a new student around here, and I was wondering, is this class 2-3?" she said shyly, her amethyst eyes large. Orihime smiled at her brightly.

"Yup! You're right! This is grade 2, Karakura high school, and class 3! Welcome!" Rangiku lurched forward and looked straight into the girl's eyes. After a thorough look up and down, she smiled.

"You're quite a looker for a new girl! You'll fit in just fine! I'm Matsumoto Rangiku. Yoroshiku!"

No sooner had she said that, the bell had gone. Everybody had returned to his or her seats while the new girl was nowhere in sight. Ochi-sensei stepped in and admired her class for a split second. Then, the only empty seat she found was next to Ichigo. She sighed. _I hope he's nice to the poor girl. _

"Alright kids, we have a new student! That's what Ukitake-sensei was talking to me about. You can come in!" she shouted happily at the doors. The doors slid open at a smooth pace as a feminine hand held it. The girl Ichigo had stared at a few minutes ago had stood there with a kind smile on her face. Her eyes were kind and glittering in the sunlight that faced her for a few moments as she walked towards the centre of the front. She turned with a dignified pose and bowed, her hand on top of one another. She stood up straight and smiled.

"Konnichiwa! Watashi no namae wa Kuchiki Rukia desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Some boys started to drool as some girls watched in fascination. Others were happy and normal.

"Kuchiki-chan, would you like to tell us about yourself?"

"Ano… I'm born in January, I prefer winter to summer, and this is the 21st high school I've moved to. My brother has a large business corporation so we have to move often," she said shyly as she giggled. Some oohs and ahs went around the classroom.

"I see. Be nice to her guys! You can take a seat next to Kurosaki-kun. Kurosaki, raise your hand!" Ichigo's friends sniggered as he reluctantly put his hand up. The rest of the class who only knew Ichigo as the badass troublemaker gulped or started to pity her. She walked so gracefully; Ichigo couldn't help but criticize her in his head.

_Probably practiced by balancing books on her head. Che. Rich bitch. _

She sat down and hung her small black bag on the hook on the side of her desk and grabbed her pencil case. She even looked delicate doing such a simple task like that!

Maybe a few dictionaries and encyclopedias…

She prepared everything neatly and then looked at the boy with fiery orange hair next to her. She smiled gently at him.

"Yoroshiku," she said shyly as she held her hand out. Ichigo decided to have some fun. He shook it and caressed the back of it with his thumb, holding her hand tightly.

"Hey babe, the name's Kurosaki. Kurosaki Ichigo," he said huskily. His face was pushed into a smirk but on the inside, he was laughing his head off. She smiled and somehow wiggled her hand out of his grip and opened her notebook. Ichigo blinked. _What the fuck? Nothing?!_

His friends saw him and started to laugh out loud, causing some students to cringe while Ochi-sensei ignored them and continued her lesson. _Alright, playing hard to get are we?_

_Then let's play hard. _

* * *

The bell went, signaling it was 3rd period. Ichigo stood up since he was already packed and didn't take a single book out and stood over Rukia's desk. His shadow loomed over her, but she didn't seem to notice as she continued packing her bag. She stood up and had no time to think, as Ichigo was suddenly right over her, as he slammed his right hand over her head on the window while his other arm trapped her. She was cornered. But she only blinked innocently at him.

"So you like what you see?" he whispered in her ear. She smiled at that comment.

"Yes!" Ichigo blinked. That was pretty… blunt.

"Are you serious?" he asked blankly. Renji was howling with laughter while Ikkaku just barked out a laugh. The others headed up to the roof already.

"Of course! Karakura high school seems so nice, and it has a lot of beautiful trees that are well preserved here! Now if you could excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom!" she wiggled out of his trap and started to go out the door. Ichigo glared at her back, making sure that if looks could kill, she'd have a hole in her back.

"Fucking little bitch! She just-"

"Rejected you!" Renji shouted before cracking up laughing again. Ikkaku was already on the floor trying to regain his breath. Ichigo glared at them and kicked Ikkaku in the ribs.

"Shut the fuck up!" he growled before storming out of the classroom.

_Oh she's gonna pay._

* * *

**Author's Note -**

I'm really sorry, but this idea just came to me! So I'll still be continuing my other story Hollow, but I'll be working on this one too. And here's a small vocab of Japanese that's in here XP

Onii-chan Big brother

Ohayou gozaimasu Good morning

Ohayou Morning

Sugoi Amazing

Minna-san Everyone

Ogenki desu ka? How are you?

Ano Umm...

Sumimasen excuse me

Yoroshiku short form of pleasure to meet you

Konnichiwa Hello (duh! XP)

Watashi no namae wa (insert name here) desu My name is (Insert name here) desu.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu very polite form of Nice to meet you

That's all. Wow, that's a lot. lol.

**Rukia-Chappi-Chan**


	2. She was Pretty

"You've got to admit, she's quite a looker, that new girl," Renji huffed as he skated down the ramp on his skateboard. Up and down he went while Ichigo just waited at the top of the ramp. He watched Renji skate down the ramp with one hand fingering the goggles on his messy orange locks. The thick black rim framed with red complimented his baggy black jeans and white singlet. His fake leather black jacket (courtesy of Yuzu's love for animals) covered his singlet, but did nothing to hide the dangerous blinding light of the chain that hung on one belt loop to another.

"But she's so stupid!" Ichigo called out to Renji. Renji snickered as he skated back up and then jumped to land next to Ichigo, stepping on his board to make it stand against his leg. Renji wore navy blue cargo pants with a yellow shirt and black jacket on top. His green shades rested on top of his bandana that did half the work of covering his usual black tattoos.

"Nah, it's just the fact that your charms don't work this time buddy. Face it." Ichigo punched him on the arm, swiftly pulled his goggles over his eyes and skated down the ramp. Toshiro shook his head as he leaned against the tree trunk on the highest branch, reading the book in his hands. He wore a navy polo shirt with loose dark blue jeans. He called down to Yumichika who was a few branches away.

"Oi, Ayasegawa, how tall is that ramp?" he questioned curiously. Yumichika was just relaxing with a yellow shirt, brown vest and jeans. And mind you, they weren't skinny jeans. His hat that adorned the side of his head moved slightly as his jaw was set in motion.

"I think Ichigo-kun once told me it was 11 metres or so high."

Hitsugaya whistled in a low tone. What was he doing there? Wasn't he planning not to come? Of course, those were his intentions before he realized Grimmjow didn't have the keys to the house. So being the nice brother he was, he decided to let him play in the front garden a little longer. Ikkaku stood in the shade of the large ramp swinging his sword about, trying to improve his techniques. He wore a white singlet and cream coloured cargo pants.

"Ichigo!" Renji panted out as he passed him on the ramp. Ichigo went up the opposite direction and shouted back.

"Yea?!"

"Let's say we jump into the air, and let go of our skateboards and run down!" he shouted back on the other end. Ichigo smirked. Sounded dangerous. But he liked dangerous.

"Let's do this thing!" he shouted back.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"GO!" Renji was airbourne for 5 horrifying seconds as he realized that on the opposite end, Ichigo was smirking at him with his feet planted firmly on the skateboard, one hand holding the front of it tightly while the other hand showed his middle finger standing straight and tall. Renji shouted in alarm as he started tumbling on his feet down the 11 metre tall ramp. And he started to become pale as he realized Ichigo was heading straight for him.

"Heads up dude!" Ichigo shouted. Renji used all his strength to jump out of the way onto the grass beyond the polished wooden ramp. He coughed as some of the air in his lungs had escaped violently. He shifted his body over to rest on his elbows while he looked over at Ichigo. He started to crack up as he realized Ichigo's face collided with his skateboard that he had left when he jumped off.

Ichigo came tumbling right next to him. As soon as Ichigo regained some breath, he socked Renji in the arm really hard.

"Ouch man, you said you would do it!"

"Yea, I like dangerous, but I ain't stupid," Ichigo huffed with a smirk. He lay down on the grass with the back of his hand shielding his eyes from the burning sun. Renji dusted his pants and headed back onto the ramp.

"Yo Ichigo, Ima try your skate, alright?" he yelled from the ramp. Ichigo raised his head from the grass and groaned out a, 'don't fucking infect it with your germs!' Renji just ignored him and zoomed down the ramp. Ichigo chuckled and lay back down, his head to the side as he looked for who was around the park. There weren't that many children, but it was getting dark. His eyes widened as he spotted someone on the park bench.

Rukia was reading a book silently on the park bench, a pale blue dress hugging her body. Ichigo smirked as he stood up, dusted the dirt off of himself, and strode over to her. Toshiro, who saw this from above, decided to stop him if things got too far. Rukia seemed unaware of Ichigo's presence, as he stood right above her.

"Hey," he said softly. She looked up and smiled after recognizing him.

"Hello Kurosaki-kun!" she replied. He sat down next to her and decided to get on her nerves. He leaned right against her body and slung his lanky, muscular arm around her slim shoulders.

"So what ya readin'?" he asked quietly in her ear. Rukia smiled calmly as she turned the book in her hands to the front.

"'My rain comes from my eyes.' It's quite a wonderful story," she said happily as she faced him. Her face was just a few centimetres away from his, but she had no reaction, no blush. He scowled a bit and leaned closer, attempting to 'accidentally' rub his cheek against her smooth soft lips. But she had turned as well.

_DAMN!_

"So what's it about?"

"It's a diary of a girl who faces tragedies every day," she said happily as his face rubbed against her cheek. _DOESN'T SHE NOTICE?!_ Ichigo blew one lock of his hair away from his forehead and sighed. He clasped his unoccupied right hand over her small left hand and then rubbed the back of her hand gently.

"You not cold?" he asked as he scooted closer, if possible. She shook her head and started to stand up. Ichigo, not expecting that reaction, fell sideways slightly.

"Sorry, but it's getting late, and I need to go now. Bye bye!" she said in a happy tone. Ichigo sat there glaring as she walked away. His hand that was now on the bench was breaking the wood into splinters. Toshiro, who had seen his little act, started to laugh his head off and he fell off the branch into the bush. He was still laughing. Ichigo glared at him and headed towards the ramp to end the afternoon. The moon was beginning to glow.

* * *

"Dad, Yuzu, Karin, haven't you guys closed-" Ichigo paused as he watched the Kurosaki clinic's inside. Yuzu was serving Rukia Kuchiki. His skateboard that was tucked under his arm was chucked to the side of the entrance when he entered the glass sliding doors. Rukia turned her head to the strange noise and stood there, slightly shocked.

"Kurosaki-kun? Is this your clinic?" she asked gently. Kurosaki Clinic. That's what the sign said, doofus.

"Uh… yea… Hi again."

"Onii-chan, do you know Rukia-chan?" Yuzu questioned with wide eyes. To be honest, Rukia had come in 30 minutes ago but they had started chatting absentmindedly. She was nice and very pretty.

"Uh, yea, classmate," he muttered. He was trying his hardest not to pounce on her and scream in her face.

"Onii-chan, can I invite her to dinner?" she pleaded. Rukia's eyes widened.

"Oh, no! I couldn't!"

"Why, it's ok Kuchiki! We don't mind!" Ichigo said slyly as he pressed his forehead to hers, resting his arm around her slim shoulders once more. At least she was tall enough for that.

"But I would be a burden!" she said in a distressed manner. Ichigo tilted his head back and let out a rich laugh.

"No, you could never, even if you wanted to! Join us for dinner-"

"SON?!" a voice bellowed from the other room. Ichigo paled.

"On second thought, you can leave, don't have dinner. You-"

"IS THAT A GIRL?!" Rukia stared at the man in a white doctor's coat with an orange shirt that had red leaves on it. His black pants that covered his legs were spread far apart in shock, his finger pointing at her. He looked to be in his mid 40s, black hair sprinkled with barely any white, surprisingly.

"CUSTOMER! SHE'S A CUSTOMER DAD!" Ichigo yelled back.

"I HEARD YOU INVITE HER TO DINNER! YOU'RE MAKING YOUR MOVE WAY TOO EARLY FOR SOMEONE YOU JUST MET, SON!" Ichigo decked his father on the head and dusted off his hands as he fell to the floor with a loud THUD.

"Kuchiki, sorry you had to meet this guy, but I'll see you at school tomorrow ok-"

"YOU SAID SHE WAS JUST A CUSTOMER!" Ichigo jumped as he realized his father was indeed still conscious.

"AREN'T YOU DEAD YET?!"

"YOU CANNOT KILL ME SO EASILY!" he yelled triumphantly as he blocked Ichigo's punch.

Rukia blinked at the scene. Her family compared to his was… a _big _difference.

"Rukia-chan, would you like to join us? I wouldn't mind cooking an extra dish!" Yuzu said shyly. Rukia was about to say no but then the voice of another girl stopped her.

"What's with the ruckus here? Ichi-nii, you didn't start another fight with one of the patients again, did you?" A girl with short, cropped black hair walked down the steps that was hidden in the hallway next to the counter. The girl raised a brow and pointed a finger at Rukia.

"Who're you?" Yuzu blushed and scolded the girl.

"Karin, you shouldn't talk to Kuchiki-san like that!"

"Kuchiki?" Karin questioned. She continued down the remainder of the steps and stopped in front of the KUCHIKI girl. Rukia bowed her head and smiled.

"Konbanwa, I'm Kuchiki Rukia. Yoroshiku."

"Eh? Rukia? Well, I'm Karin. Kurosaki Karin. Yo." Ichigo clapped his hands together and kicked his dad's stomach just to make sure.

"Kuchiki, you can leave if you want."

"Don't just reject her! You're the one that was desperate to invite her, nii-chan!"

"Yea Ichi-nii!"

"YEA!" Isshin yelled in agreement. He was standing tall next to his daughters with his fists on his hips. His body and face had bruises and blood all over it. Ichigo kicked him again and scratched his head when his father went flying.

"Ok then, after you." He flashed a smile at her. She bowed her head as she blushed a pretty shade of pink/red.

"Thank you so much, I appreciate it," she said gently as she followed a happy and excited Yuzu. Karin gave her brother a once look over and smirked, following the other 2 girls. Ichigo glared at her and looked at the pile of rubble where his dad was resting. He rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pocket, shoulders hunched and heading out the door.

* * *

"BYAKUYA?! THE KUCHIKI BYAKUYA?!" Isshin burst out loudly. Ichigo glared daggers at his father while Karin ignored him and asked for more rice from Yuzu.

"Eh… Yes, my Nii-sama is Kuchiki Byakuya… He owns the Kuchiki business firm and that's why we must move ever so often. Once again, I am sorry to burden you for this dinner," Rukia said softly before bowing her head again.

"I told you, it's ok Rukia-chan!" Yuzu boosted. Karin nodded, her chopsticks dangling from her mouth.

"You're always welcome here, Rukia," Ichigo said a tad bit too cheerfully as he winked at her, holding his bowl of rice with one hand while he held his chopsticks in the other. Rukia smiled and then continued eating her rice and miso with fish.

"Oh! Rukia-chan, how are you going to get home? I'm afraid it's a bit dark…" Yuzu said fearfully as she glanced out the window.

"Oh! It's ok, I can walk. It's no big deal," Rukia said politely, waving it off.

"What? You? Walk out there? _Alone!?_" Karin exclaimed.

"Yes… why?"

"Well, someone like you walking out at night is… you'll be raped easily!" she said bluntly.

"Karin!" Yuzu scolded.

"It's true! A looker like her, who _wouldn't _want to eat her?" Karin stated, as if it were obvious.

"Oh, stop making a fuss about it, if you're so worried Karin, I'll walk her, happy?" Ichigo snapped. Karin nodded satisfactorily. Isshin started to weep as he ONCE again headed over to the large poster of Masaki.

"Masaki oh dear Masaki!! Our Ichigo is growing up so fast!"

"Shut it dad, we're trying to eat dinner," Ichigo said bluntly in a dull monotone.

"Yes sir…" Isshin obeyed quietly as he sat back down, lines of blue sadness wavering over him.

Ichigo glanced up from his fish to sneak a look at Rukia.

_I guess she __**is **__pretty…_

* * *

"Don't walk like that! Doesn't it hurt your neck?" Ichigo scolded lightly. Rukia was walking with her hands clasped behind her back, her head tilted back to look up at the night sky.

"No. Besides, the stars are beautiful!" Rukia breathed. Ichigo smirked.

_She shouldn't be too hard to break. _

"So… any pretty trees in Karakura _apart _from the school's?" Ichigo said, twitching slightly as he gave a fake smile. Rukia nodded.

"Yes, I really like the view, and it seems to be such a peaceful neighbourhood!" she exclaimed as she looked at Ichigo. Her eyes sparkled and glittered in the moonlight, while her hair blended with the night sky and her skin shone. Ichigo whistled low softly.

_She really __**is **__a looker. _

"Wow, that bridge is amazing!" Rukia said excitedly as she pointed far off into the distance. Ichigo looked at where she was pointing. It was the large Karakura Bridge that connected the mainland to the other side. It was pretty large, its complex red glowing under the lights that flashed along the bridge.

"One day, I'd love to go there to spend some time alone with myself!" Rukia said happily. Ichigo raised a brow. Rukia, spotting his confused look giggled. "Sometimes, I like to take a break from it all, and have a relaxing time on my own. In every town I move to, I have my own secret place to think." Ichigo smirked.

"Well it's not secret anymore since I know where it is," he said smugly. Rukia smiled as she put a finger to her lips and made a small "Shhhh.." sound. She winked and then ran ahead.

"Oi! Rukia! Chotto matte!" He smiled as he chased after the girl. Rukia ignored him and continued to run. She turned left and disappeared halfway down the street as Ichigo just realized she had turned. He skidded to a stop and fell down a bit, hurriedly pushed himself back up on his feet and then ran as fast as he could to chase her.

Damn, she was fast.

"Rukia, where are you-"

His eyes widened as he realized that the car was speeding down the road while Rukia was running across it.

"RUKIA!!" he screamed as time seemed to slow down. Rukia stopped as her body seemed to jerk forward. She turned her head to look at the car that was now beeping its horn like crazy. Her eyes widened.

Time was going so slowly.

Ichigo jumped and then leaned all his body weight into pushing Rukia out of the way. The car skidded back and forth, side to side as it finally regained control and honked its horn loud and long, continuing down the road and turning right. Ichigo swore loudly and then stuck up both his rude fingers, making an X with them.

"Watch out, you fucking moron!!" he screamed. He heard one last honk in the distance before punching the air, jumping up a bit. Ichigo turned around and looked at Rukia. Who knew someone could look so beautiful after getting slammed to the cold, hard asphalt of the road.

"Yo, Rukia, you right?" he asked worriedly, holding onto her shoulder and caressing the side of her face. She looked up, her face a bit scratched and her knee was slightly bleeding. He looked down at her school blouse. The sides of it were becoming stained with red. He lifted both her elbows and flinched.

"Ouch!" Ichigo winced. Blood seemed to drip non-stop from her elbows as she blinked at him innocently. Then, her eyes widened as she realized something.

"I'm bleeding!" she exclaimed lightly.

"NO _WAY! _SERIOUSLY?!" Ichigo shouted before scolding her lightly on the head. "No shit, Sherlock! Geez, took a while to notice."

"Thank you Ichigo, for pushing me out of the way. If it weren't for you, I-" Ichigo silenced her mouth with his hand.

"I should be apologizing, why are you thanking me? I'm the reason you're hurt like this!" he said gently.

"It could've been much worse if you hadn't pushed me though!" Rukia said happily. Ichigo stared at her, his eye twitching.

_Is she for real? _

Rukia looked around her and looked at the ground blankly.

"There's glass." She pointed out the small sharp objects that were in assorted shapes and such. Ichigo gaped in horror. Doesn't it hurt if she just fell into shards of glass then? Ichigo had tiny cuts all over his hands, and they stung like hell.

Ichigo started to panic as he realized there was some red starting to drip down the side of her head.

"Oh my god!"

* * *

"There! All bandaged up! How are you feeling, Rukia-chan?" Yuzu coaxed.

"Much better, thank you very much!" Though it was unusual, Rukia actually looked… cute in those bandages. She had a bandage wrapped around the top of her head while more bandages were wrapped around her elbows. Her left knee was grazed, so a white patch-band aid covered it. A rectangular sticky sheet of white covered the spot on her cheek just under her right eye. Ichigo smiled as he caught eye contact with Rukia.

"Better?"

"Yup!" she said happily. Ichigo smiled, the inside of him stirring up a plan.

_I am going to make sure she is completely broken by the time I'm done with her. _

* * *

**Author's Note -**

I'm sooo sorry I'm taking so long to update my stories! I'm being irresponsible and lazy, and it's the holidays! DX

**Konbanwa **- Good Evening

**Chotto matte** - Wait a moment

I'll try to update faster, okies? X3

Ruki-chan


	3. She had High Grades

"NO!!" Chizuru wailed as she saw Rukia step into the classroom with several injuries. "HONEY!! WHAT HAPPENED!?" Rukia sweat-dropped as Chizuru started to hug Rukia tightly and lather her face with Rukia's small chest.

"A car… it kind of…" she said, laughing nervously.

"A CAR?!" Matsumoto screeched as she joined in the hugging. "OH OUR POOR LITTLE RUKI-CHAN!!" she also wailed. Tatsuki just glared at the two dully while Orihime participated in the 'let's worry over Kuchiki-san' game as well.

"Kuchiki-san, are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes! I'm sure Orihime-san!" Rukia said, muffled by the two women who wouldn't let go. "And Rukia is just fine! No Kuchiki-san!" she also cried out. Tatsuki pried Rukia out of Rangiku and Chizuru's tight hold and started to yell at them. Rukia blinked while her hair was messed up. Orihime smiled at her.

"If you say so… You know, I nearly got run over by a car too!" she bubbled, hitting her own head lightly.

"Oh? Are you okay?" Rukia asked worriedly. Orihime smile brightly.

"Yup! I'm all rejuvenated!" she exclaimed, making pulling gestures with her arms, causing her chest _assets _to bounce. Rukia smiled.

"I'm glad…"

"Mina-san! Suwatte!" Ochi-sensei announced. Some students jumped in surprise. Nobody heard her come in. "Come on, sit, sit! We have a test coming up, and this weighs around 40 of your final report mark!" she announced, clapping her hands together. Everybody groaned. "Urusai! Shizukani shite!"

"Sensei, when is the test, exactly?" Michiru asked timidly. Ochi-sensei tapped her chin, deep in thought.

"Next Monday I think!" More groaning.

"I hate fucking Mondays…" Ichigo groaned. He slumped in his chair. He looked beside him and saw Rukia just sitting there, doodling some little drawings. He was impressed when he saw the well shaded rose petals fall off a thorn stem. He was _not _impressed however, when he saw the ridiculous little Chappy the bunny drawing around the page.

Then, Ichigo thought of something.

"Hey, Rukia…" Ichigo whispered. Rukia turned her face towards Ichigo's voice. "Let's make a study group!" Her brows rose at this.

"A … study…group?" she questioned lightly, tilting her head to the side.

"Yea! So we could study for the upcoming test!" Ichigo boosted. _I'll show her… I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and __**I **__score 23__rd__ out of the whole grade. Let's see if you've got the brains as well as the beauty. _

"I guess…who's coming?" she asked gently. Ichigo blinked. _Back up plan, back up plan, quick! _

"Uh… Everyone!"

* * *

Ichigo just sat there, grumbling. Renji, Ikkaku, Toshiro, Yumichika, Tatsuki, Momo, Rangiku, Uryuu, Chad, and Rukia were coming. They all decided to stay at Orihime's house and study. But here he was, alone with Orihime, doing… nothing. Orihime popped her head out of the kitchen.

"Would you like anything to drink, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked cheerfully. Ichigo shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine." He watched the clock tick by so agonizingly slowly. They were meant to meet at 10. It was 10:30. His eyes lit up when he heard the doorbell. He practically sprung at the door, leaving a surprised and dazed Orihime in his presence. He opened the door and his happy face fell as soon as he saw Uryuu standing there. Silence ran between the two while the crickets in summer chirped on. Ichigo slammed the door and continued to stumble over to the table in the middle of Orihime's room. He sat down and slumped his form over the firm wood. Orihime sweat-dropped and opened the door. Uryuu walked in and pushed his glasses up his nose, letting the lens shine in the light for a moment as he stood behind Ichigo, glaring. He dropped his sewing and study bag onto Ichigo's head.

"FUCK!! ISHIDA!" Ichigo yelled.

"Why, hello to you to Kurosaki," he said icily. They shared a glaring contest before they even realized Orihime had already gone out to the railing of her apartment to wave at the rest of the people downstairs.

"Tatsuki-chan! Momo-san! Rangiku-san! Guys! Ohayou!" she called out. The others waved before heading up the steps. Ichigo perked up at the sound of so many people coming. _Rukia __**must **__be there! _He looked towards the door eagerly. Tatsuki. Momo. Rangiku. Chad. Ikkaku. Yumichika. No Rukia. Damn. Ichigo dropped his face onto his palm where his elbow rested on the table. It was a rectangular long table that was enough to suit 13 people. The doorbell rang again. Ichigo ran to answer it. He opened it, and his happy face fell. Again. When he saw Toshiro, he slammed the door and sat back down.

"Kurosaki!!" Toshiro yelled when he entered. Ichigo grumbled and mumbled profanities under his breath. They studied for around an hour, all topics of conversation passing Ichigo. He just kept glancing at the time. As soon as he heard footsteps outside, he sprung up, surprising everyone at the table, and slammed the door open.

"RU-"

"Yo…" Renji said quietly, slightly puzzled about Ichigo's behaviour. Ichigo slammed the door and turned around. Renji slammed it open and kicked Ichigo's ass.

"Bastard!" he yelled. Ichigo stuck his rude finger up and glared at him. It was 12:30 now. Where the hell was Rukia?! Ichigo checked over and over again to make sure that everyone was here so next time the door opened, it would DEFINITELY be Rukia. So when the doorbell rung AGAIN he pounced at the door and opened it with a bright smile.

"RUKI-" he stopped. It was a bloody postman. Ichigo stood there in silence, all emotion devoid of his face. Then, he cracked.

"SON OF A MOTHER FU-"

"ICHIGO!" Toshiro bellowed. Uryuu, Chad and Renji held Ichigo back while he kept screaming profanities and curses at the poor mailman. Orihime squeezed through and handled her business with the trembling postman. Orihime laughed nervously.

"Ahah… well, he's just having a bad day, thank you you for coming, nice to see you-"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN NICE TO SEE HIM THAT SON OF A-"

Orihime slammed the door before he could say anymore. After calming Ichigo down for 15 minutes, he finally sat back down, red faced and practically steaming. The doorbell rung again for the millionth time according to Ichigo's mind. Ichigo glared at everyone at the table who expected him to bounce up and open it.

"…"

"The fuck _you _lookin' at?!" he sneered. They all gave him the expectant look. He snarled and then stood up to slam the door open. He screamed at the person at the door.

"WRONG ADDRESS, FUCK OFF!" he paused in shock when he looked down into a… white sunhat. It had a blue ribbon around it that ended in a nice bow on the side. The sunhat rose to reveal Rukia with innocent, questioning eyes and black, silk hair tied into two plaits with blue ribbons. She wore a spaghetti strap light blue sundress that stopped at her knees. She carried 2 heavy plastic bags, a watermelon and fruit in one with something that appeared to be bento boxes in the other. Her bandages were all removed.

"I…uh… I'm… sorry?" Rukia said stiffly before turning around. She walked 3 steps before being dragged into the apartment by Ichigo. He carried her bags and dumped them on the floor in Orihime's kitchen.

"Rukia-san! Welcome!" Orihime said happily. All the girls cheered as well while the guys grunted and acknowledged her presence. Rukia smiled as she placed her white satchel bag next to her and brought out her pencil case. She sat on the end of the table, Orihime on her left with Ichigo on her right.

"I'm sorry I'm so late, but I had no idea I would be this late! I bought fruit as well!"

"Well what time did you get the stuff?!" Ichigo snapped, obviously mad she came so late. Rukia pondered for a bit.

"Ano… 12:30 I think."

"12:30?! WE WERE MEANT TO MEET AT 10!" Ichigo yelled, one fist on the table and one fist clenched on his lap that was facing outwards of the table.

"Hontou? Ah… Gomen…" she said quietly.

"Ah, it's quite ok Kuchiki-san!" Uryuu began nervously.

"Yes! It think you arrived _fashionably _late, don't you agree?" Yumichika said, nodding at the other people with a sweat-drop. Everyone started to agree.

"Yea! Don't listen to Kurosaki-kun," Momo said breezily as she waved her hand up and down.

"Oi! I'm still here you know!" he snapped. Everybody glared at him(except Rukia of course).

"So?" they all said dully. He sunk down in his seat and continued his work.

"Ano…. Rukia-san, how do you do this question?" Orihime asked as she pushed her book over to Rukia. Rukia smiled and began to explain.

"Well, to do this, you're going to have to substitute _x_ with 0."

"Yea…" Orihime trailed off. Then, the harder the thought about it, she suddenly understood. "Oh!! Arigatou Kuchiki-ah, I meant Rukia-san!" Rukia smiled.

"It's alright!" she replied with a smile. Ok, Kuchiki Rukia was _officially _pissing Kurosaki Ichigo off. "Oh!" she exclaimed. She stood up and went to the kitchen. She grabbed the large plastic bag that held a box in it and came back to the living room.

"How about a small lunch break?" she questioned happily. Everybody seemed to sigh or groan in relief. Many of them excluding Ikkaku and Yumichika, had white bands tied around their head to help keep the hair out of their eyes. Rukia, Orihime, Rangiku and Momo used them as hair ties.

"What did you buy, Rukia-san?" Rangiku said greedily while Rukia set the bag down on the now cleared table.

"Eh… I didn't really know what everyone liked, so I think I asked for everything…" Rukia said, trailing off. Everybody stared at her in horror. She began to un-stack the boxes. There were 13 in total. Rukia began to open the boxes and revealed 13 different platters of sushi. Everybody's mouth watered. Rukia brought out the wooden take-away sticks that came with the bag and gave everyone 2 small bottles of soy sauce that was contained inside a small fish.

"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed happily.

"Itadakimasu!" everybody else followed. They began to feast in and Rangiku just moaned on the spot.

"It's _so _good!"

"Yea, where did you buy this from??" Ikkaku asked, shoveling some tempura down.

"Eh? Buy…?" she asked, trailing off while she chewed on her shrimp.

"Yea, buy! I should really go there one day!" Renji exclaimed.

"You'd probably eat the whole menu!" Tatsuki snapped. This earned a laugh from the others.

"Eh… I didn't buy this… I helped the chefs make it…"

"EH?!" everybody spat out the food they were chewing and stared at her with wide mouths. Rukia blinked.

"Your _chefs?!_" Ichigo sputtered. No way, she even had chefs. What next, maids?!

"Hai… they made it and I helped them…" Rukia said quietly, slightly embarrassed. Silence engulfed everyone while the shock settled in.

"W-wow…" Orihime breathed.

"Compliments to the chef!" Rangiku cheered before she raised her chopsticks in the air and dug in again. Chatter and eating began again after the shock had settled in.

"Ah! I know!" Momo exclaimed. Toshiro glanced at her curiously. "We could have our next study group at Rukia's!" Everybody began to agree and nod his or her heads in approval.

"Are we actually allowed?" Toshiro asked dully. Rukia pondered about it, a sweat-drop gracing her features.

"Ano…. I should think so…." She said quietly.

"Okay!! So next time there's a test, we're meeting at Rukia's place, agreed?" Tatsuki cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

"Agreed!" everybody shouted back.

"At least this time she won't be so late," Ichigo snickered at Rukia. She blushed and managed to hold a small playful glare at him.

* * *

"Oh my god I'm dead…" Keigo muttered as tears of happiness overflowed his cheeks. Mizuiro collected the papers and laughed lightly.

"It's ok, at least you gave it your best!" he said lightly. Ichigo glanced over to a calm Rukia that was reading a book. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"So how was it?" he asked huskily. Rukia turned and didn't blush at all with the close proximity.

"It was ok, though I think I may have gotten a score in the low 60s or high 50s," she said modestly as she started to laugh nervously.

_That's good to hear._

"Well, I studied my ass off so I think I got pretty good," he said smugly while he lay back in his chair and relaxed.

_Better than you anyway._

"Really? That's interesting to know," Rukia said gently before returning to her book. Ichigo looked back at her in the corner of his eyes.

_Hn. Perfect? Che. Doubt it. Beauty + brains never works._

"Oi, Ichigo, what'd you get, do ya reckon?" Renji questioned as he turned in his seat to face Ichigo. Ichigo shrugged.

"I probably got crap."

"Che. That's not what you said to Kuchiki seconds ago," he said smugly, scrunching his face into a grin. Ichigo smirked and leaned back leisurely.

"She don't need to learn that."

* * *

He couldn't do anything but stare in horror at the common test results that were hung on the school notice board the next day. He, oh yes, Kurosaki Ichigo, he got good. He got 10th out of the 322 11th graders. Yea. That was good. So why the _fuck_ did Miss. _Kuchiki _get 1st in the bloody whole school?! She received better than Kunieda Ryou, Ishida Uryuu and Hitsugaya Toshiro even! Un-_fucking _believable. Yea, those 3 normally tied together for 1st place, so why was Rukia's name on the top?! Above _every other fucking smart person in the fucking __**world?!**_

"Rukia-san, sugoi!" Orihime cheered.

"Eh? What did I-" she looked at the paper and let her eyes widen. "Oh… again… I thought for sure I wouldn't…" she whispered quietly. Tatsuki raised a brow.

"Heh? Again?! You mean you _always _get 1st place!?" she exclaimed. Rukia nodded lightly.

"But I don't think I really deserve it, I made lots of errors and-"

"Of course not Rukia-san!" Momo cheered. "You did well, and you should be celebrating! Right, Shiro-chan?" Momo nudged Toshiro lightly. He blushed and defiantly held his hand out to Rukia.

"…Eh?" Rukia questioned. Toshiro opened an eye.

"Momo's right. You should be happy. Congratulations," he said stiffly.

"He's just not happy he got beaten. He never does," Rangiku teased lightly. He hit her lightly on the stomach, not too hard. He walked off. Uryuu and Ryou walked over to her.

"Congratulations Kuchiki-san, though I really find it hard to believe Ishida-kun, Hitsugaya-kun and I received 2nd place," Ryou said lightly, shaking her hand. Uryuu shook it also and gave her another congratulations. Orihime had suddenly proposed everybody go down to the ice-cream parlour to celebrate everybody's good marks. Rukia smiled and agreed. Everybody else came back from looking at their scores that lay in the 100s and nodded, agreeing.

"Well, I did better this time than last time thanks to Kuchiki's help," Ikkaku began. Rukia looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, Rukia-san did well in teaching many of us. We should treat her," Yumichika added, placing his hand on Rukia's shoulder.

"Yea! Let's treat her to a sky-scraper sundae!" Momo cheered loudly. Everybody began to agree and give in their fill of money, which wasn't very much, seeing as there were 13 people paying.

"No, I couldn't! Please, don't, there's no reason to waste money on me! Buy treats to congratulate yourselves!" she exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her.

"Nonsense. Think of this as our welcoming gift," Toshiro said, smirking. Momo hung on his arm lightly.

Rangiku and Orihime grabbed poppers out of nowhere and popped them.

"Congratulations and welcome Kuchiki Rukia, at Karakura High!"

"Woohoo!!" everybody cheered.

Ichigo seethed on the very spot he was standing. He sent the dirtiest dirty in the whole world of dirties her way, hoping to drill a hole into her.

"No… _fucking_ way…" he growled. Ok, so she had beauty and brains. So? She couldn't be perfect at EVERYTHING. No. That's impossible. NOBODY'S perfect. He was taught that long ago. Not in this world.

**No one.**

* * *

**Author's** **Note** -

Sorry i take so long to update! And my stories are so crap, and I'm still updating...DX

Tell me if i could improve on anything, or if I do something bad! Or or, make a mistake!

Okies? I really want to become better!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter...

**Mina**-**san** - Everyone

**Suwatte** - Sit Down

**Urusai** - Noisy/annoying/shut up. On the net, it's shut up but in class, I learnt it was noisy/annoying..."

**Shizukani** **Shite** - Be Quiet

**Sensei** - Teacher

**Ohayou** - Morning

**Hontou **- Really

**Gomen **- Sorry

**Itadakimasu** - Something you say before you eat (eg. Thank you for the food)

**Hai** - yes/ something you say that is equivalent to I heard you, I'm coming

**Sugoi **- Amazing.

Just in case you guys forgot, and weren't bothered to check what those words meant, I redid them

Have a great week,

**Ruki-chan**


	4. She was Rich

Ok, now, he was sick of it. Sick of _her_.

She got first in the whole grade.

_So?!_

"Kuchiki-san, that was so good!" one girl exclaimed.

"Yea! You did beautifully well!" Yumichika would say.

"Great job," Ikkaku would award.

"You're really good at tests, aren't you!" another would say.

Ichigo just held his breath and continued reading his book, standing against the wall. Praises here, praises there, they were _everywhere_. Ichigo glared at Rukia when she had turned to the side and continued chatting with other students. Ichigo decided to drop in for a little chat.

"Hey there babe," Ichigo whispered into her ear. Rukia looked up at him and smiled, tucking a few stray strands behind her ear. The other students started to back away.

"Oh! Hello Kurosaki-kun!" she exclaimed. He slumped himself into his chair beside her, snapping his book shut.

"Hey, hey, I told you to call me Ichigo!" he said politely to her. Rukia looked uncertain about this but nodded.

"Ok… What is it, Ichigo-san?" Rukia asked politely. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

_Fucking annoying manners._

"I was just wondering, wanna go out for a movie this Saturday? It's a half day at school, so we can go out!" Ichigo suggested with the shrug of his shoulders.

"Ano… I think so… I'll have to ask."

"Great!"

"Who's coming?"

_Oh shit._

"Uh… I was thinking just us two…" Ichigo said quietly so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Eh? Only? I don't know… but I'll ask!" Rukia said brightly at the end, closing her eyes in a cute smile. Ichigo sighed in relief.

_Thank god._

"So, what time and where?" she asked innocently. Ichigo quickly made up a time and place.

"After school, Karakura mall."

"Ok then!"

* * *

"WHAT?!" Ikkaku practically screamed.

"Skip training? But we NEVER skip training!!" Toshiro yelled at Ichigo. Ichigo winced. He expected this kind of reaction from his gang. They were hanging out in the alleyway that they usually dwelled around.

"Just this once? We can have training on Sunday!" Ichigo exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Sunday?! But that's a day of REST!" Renji groaned.

"Ain't that just too bad then…" a voice chuckle behind them, the sound of cracking knuckles audible to their ears. The gang turned around, and all their eyes narrowed when they spotted Kenpachi.

"Guys, no time for whining, because things are about to get bloody." Ichigo hissed with a smirk.

* * *

"Ow."

"Sorry."

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"OW!!"

"Bare with me here!" Rukia exclaimed gently. Ichigo just grumbled under his breath.

"Ichigo-san, why in the world are you injured like this?" Rukia questioned quietly. Her hands held a thin and long pair of tweezers in her hand, a cotton ball covered in anti-bacterial medicine on the end of it. She dabbed on his cheek gently.

"I got into a fight…" Ichigo mumbled. Rukia looked into his eyes, staring him down.

"Ichigo-san…." Rukia whispered. Ichigo stared back. Rukia sighed and broke eye contact, standing up. "You… are in a gang, aren't you...?"

_No __**fucking **__way! _Ichigo mused in his head. _Serious?!_

"Uh… Yea…" he said quietly, trying to act fidgety. As if he gave a fuck to what she cared about him being in a gang.

"Then I don't think I should be around you."

So maybe he should start now.

"What?!" Ichigo almost shouted in surprise. Rukia put a finger to her lips and then started to pack away the first aid kit. She said it so casually, like she had rehearsed this so many times before.

"Well, it's obvious you will be thought of as a bad influence to my Nii-sama, so I forbid you to come within a 5 metre distance," she lectured in a dull tone as she held her arm up at full length to keep him away. Ichigo rolled his eyes and got up; leaning against the couch he spotted. He had to admit, Rukia had a nice bedroom. But he had to sneak into the bloody mansion by the window. Her mahogany oak bed was partly hidden by violet, silk curtains that silhouetted everything inside. The lavender covers on her bed sported tiny, white flowers that laced around the cover on vines. A large Chappy doll lay on the bed, tucked into the covers neatly.

She had a TV on the other end of the room, near the corner and away from the door. Her large double doors were made of the same wood of her bed, tall and over looming, its golden handles shining in the light. He noticed she had a 'small' grand piano on the other side, a violin case next to it. The couch he sat on was in front of the large, plasma screen TV. A bookcase and desk was on the right of the room, neat and tidy, as expected.

"I came all the way here to see you, and you're trying to get rid of me permanently?" he questioned with a raised brow.

"Ichigo-san, you had to _sneak _in here. May I ask why you did not ring the door-bell?" she questioned in that soft tone of hers. She sat on her bed; her curtains parted and tied up so she could stare into the amber eyes of Ichigo. He scoffed and crossed his arms, looking away.

"Otherwise they would have gotten rid of me," he grumbled.

"And another thing," Rukia added, Chappy on her lap, her fingers gently stroking the ear and fingering it. "Why did you come to me, when your family owns a clinic?" Ichigo remained silent. Rukia giggled lightly. Ichigo perked up. That giggle… seemed so cheap. "You can remain my friend. I'm sure you're not as bad as they say," she giggled.

_Who's __**they**__._

Ichigo raised a brow and stared at her. She undid the ribbon on her curtains and started to wiggle under the sheets, preparing to sleep with Chappy safely cuddled in her arms.

"When you leave, Ichigo-san, turn the lights off please."

"I wanna explore your room a bit," he said lazily, standing up with his hands linked behind his head. Rukia just murmured something and began to breathe deeply and calmly, signaling to Ichigo she was asleep. He smirked at her sleeping silhouette.

_You are so stupid; it's not good for you. This is __**me**__ you're messing with._

He walked over to the glass door that was blurred, so the contents inside were hidden. From Rukia's view right now, it was on her left. He shrugged and opened the door. He stifled a gasp. It was MUCH larger than what he expected.

This girl had a _fucking _walk-in closet. Dresses covered one side, covering the first half on the right. Shirts covered the second half right after the dresses, a white thin wall separating the two different articles of clothing. On the left were skirts, shorts, jeans, and ¾ jeans covering the whole wall. Under the shorts section was a small shelf. Ok, not so small. The shelf stretched from the beginning to the end. They were all shoes. Expensive looking ones too. Ichigo checked under the dresses. He noticed there were drawer chests that probably held jewelry. He crouched and opened one of the drawers. Rings. The drawer was full to the brim with _rings. _Gold, silver, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, it just went on. Ichigo didn't dare check the other drawers. He looked towards the end and found bags hanging on a large clothing hook. Some more even sat on small white podiums. A smaller shelf was in the left top corner, watches shining in their compartments.

Ichigo eyed the things and turned around, his mind plagued with thoughts of _rich bastards_. He eyed the hooks behind the door that held her school uniform. There were two hooks, each of them holding 5 uniforms. On the left, was Karakura high school. On the right, seemed to be a private school uniform that included a royal blue school blazer, a button up shirt and a blue ribbon that hung loosely on the collar. A matching skirt with pleats hung under it.

"What school is this...?" Ichigo muttered to himself. He looked at the gold emblem on the right breast pocket on the blazer.

_Hanazawa High School. _

No way. No _Fucking __**Unbelievable **_way.

She used to attend the _richest_, most _private_, high school in JAPAN. Ichigo just glared at the uniform, his hands itching to rip it to shreds. His attention was averted from it when he noticed a bit of red coming from the Karakura uniform. He thought it was the red bow that girls were designated to wear, but he started to wonder when it liquefied and stained the side of the uniform. He grabbed the uniform at the end with the stain on the sides and then stared at it in curiosity.

_Is that… blood?_Ichigo questioned in his mind. He looked to his left, as if searching for his answer somewhere else. His eyes widened when they landed on the dress that stood out slightly he pulled that out and then stared at it. It was the pale blue dress she wore to the park the other day. When he and the others went skating. She was wearing it at the park… but later on…

_He looked down at her school blouse. The side of it was becoming stained with red._

_Blood seemed to drip non-stop from her elbows…_

During the dinner, Ichigo remembered she wore her school uniform. But she wore her dress at the park, 30 minutes before.

How was that possible? During dinner, she claimed she didn't return home. The sides of her uniform that were stained with blood proved Ichigo that he wasn't imagining things. He put both the offending articles of clothing back and glared at them, thinking.

_What… is she hiding…_

* * *

"Ano… Was this a bit much…?" Rukia questioned quietly. Ichigo stared, his jaw dropped open. Sure, she was beautiful, her hair done in a loose bun with a small silver clip to add on, light, pink lip-gloss on her lips and purple eye shadow. Yea, that was ok. So…

Why did Kuchiki Rukia wear a purple kimono that had silver silk stitched in it in the form of butterflies again? She was wearing a bloody RICH kimono probably worth MILLIONS. Her wooden sandals clacked against the pavement as Ichigo stared. They were going out to lunch, and movies. NOT a fancy Japanese bistro! He was just clad in a loose pair of jeans that hung low on his hips, a chain dangling on one belt loop to the other, his black beanie cap dumped to face the side. His black shirt had white graffiti on the front, white sleeves under his tee.

And he thought _he _was over-dressed.

* * *

He REALLY wanted to sink and melt into a puddle now. Everyone in the movie cinema was staring at Rukia, who was absent-mindedly eating popcorn. Ichigo pushed his cap down further and sunk as low as his back would let him.

As soon as the movie finished, Ichigo scooped up Rukia with one hand so that she was hauled like a sack onto his shoulder, and he sprinted before anyone could see their faces. He stopped running as soon as he stopped in the alleyway. Rukia stood up and straightened out the crinkles in her robes.

"Ichigo-san was that really-"

"NEVER wear a kimono out like this again!" Ichigo panted out, his hands on his knees. Rukia cocked her head to the side.

"Ok… but the kimono is required right now," she said calmly. Ichigo raised a brow.

"What-"

He had no time to speak when Rukia had grabbed his wrist and started leading him away quietly through the alley.

"Rukia-" She raised a finger to her lips, silencing him. She opened a door with a small key of some sort, and ushered him to follow the crowd out there.

"Rukia, what the fu-"

"Ichigo-san, please sit over to that seat over there, I'll show you what's going to happen." Ichigo stared at her in distrust and obeyed reluctantly. He walked down the steps behind a dark curtain in dim light and then headed out. His eyes widened when he realized there was a HUGE audience. He found a spot that had a piece of paper attached to it, his name written in fine ink.

**Seat reserved for Kurosaki Ichigo. **

Ichigo sweat-dropped and sat down. He stared at what he and Rukia entered. Turns out that it was actually a stage, draped and covered by a maroon curtain. Ichigo raised a brow when the lights dimmed, the audience hushed, and the curtains slowly pulled open. Ichigo stifled a gasp in his throat. There were 7 Geishas in all, scattered upon the stage, posed delicately with large fans in each of their hands. Each Geisha had a see through and light shoulder scarf that hung at their elbows.

A light drumbeat started to play, the Geisha's moves stiff and robotic as they moved their arms and legs, one step at a time, according to the beat. As the beat went faster, their steps were faster, agile, and graceful. Ichigo nearly choked on his own spit when he realized Rukia was among the dancing Geishas. Then, the stage light turned off, a spotlight shone on the lone Geisha that stood in the centre of the 6 other Geishas, knee bent, one leg out stiff, covering the stage with white stockings. They all looked down at their pointed toes, their fans held at the waist and above their heads.

The drum played a slow beat once more; Rukia giving pumped slow strokes of her arm and legs.

The next scene that happened was just indescribable… A flip here, a twirl there, a fan toss here and a front/back flip over there. She moved fast pace with the beat, her passion flowing out of her body and fans. At each strong thump of the drum, a few selected Geisha rose and fell hurriedly, swaying their arms out to the side with their fans and bringing them back in.

Then, the drumbeat stopped, and Rukia paused in the centre, one fan down by her side, flicked out slightly, the other fan covering her nose and mouth. The fan at her mouth flicked open and shut as the beat started again, this time, brought up with the tings of a xylophone. When the violins and drums and flute came in again, all 7 Geishas danced again, Rukia's solo over. The music stopped abruptly, all 6 Geishas sprawled out and pointing their fans at Rukia from the ground as she stood above them, her arms crossed and her fans on the opposite shoulder.

Large applause was given to the 7 Geishas, as they stood all together and bowed. Everybody stood from their seats to clap and whistle at them. Ichigo stood and gave a slow, and loud clap that burned his hands. He wanted to so badly glare at Rukia. After staring at the dancer at the front with the long black hair and silver-white kimono and a white obi, he realized.

Rukia was tutored by the great, Sode no Shirayuki herself. Who else had those graceful moves, who else, learnt to dance to the White Moon. Why else would the great Sode no Shirayuki herself, the best Geisha in Karakura, glance at Rukia in the corner of her eye to see if there is a flaw or not? Ichigo growled low, unheard because of all the cheering.

_She is so fucking rich to be able to buy Sode no Shirayuki like that._

Ichigo seethed. He sat back down with the audience and listened to the clatter behind the closing curtains as the stage was getting set for the next act. He leaned his chin on his hand stubbornly and glared at the dark curtains that seemed to mock him. He just leaned back on his palms that were behind him and forced himself to endure the next performance. Then, he thought back on it.

Is she really a Geisha? Or a Maiko?

His eyes widened when he saw Rukia sitting on a fake boulder that looked all too real. She sat down gracefully, her legs placed on the side, her fingers delicately holding what seemed to be a Shakuhachi. Ichigo couldn't help but be entranced by her song and beauty for the next 2 hours she appeared and disappeared.

* * *

"Ichigo-san!" Ichigo rolled his eyes mentally and pushed himself off the wall, arms uncrossed and leg out straight again. He looked at the small Geisha running down the hallway towards him. Her makeup was slightly smudged and half wiped off, her hair slightly messy as it was becoming loose. Two random Geishas just dragged him past the curtain stairs and then to here, right where he could open the door and watch 20 Geishas change if he wanted to.

"Hey, nice show tonight," Ichigo said quietly, smirking. Rukia blushed lightly under that smudged, ghostly white makeup and smiled up at him.

"Thank you."

"Hey, are you a Maiko? Or a Geisha?" Ichigo questioned curiously. Rukia blushed a pretty pink and hid her mouth and nose with both long sleeves that covered MORE than her hands. She shook her head.

"I am neither. I was merely taught how to play a Shakuhachi and dance as one of the Geishas. After a while, the Hitachi Geisha Tea house noticed my talents and permitted me to perform here every once in a while…"

"So who taught you?" Ichigo asked through gritted teeth. He knew the answer to that one already.

"Ah! Shirayuki-san teaches me!" Rukia stated happily.

_Che. Fucking rich enough to buy her. Bitch. Boasting isn't good for you._

"Although, I really didn't want to waste Shirayuki-san's time… She volunteered to teach me on her own will without any pay. I really don't want her to though…"

_What the fuck?! Oh that's just great, she gets spoiled too._

"Sou ka… Hey, can I have a little tour around your house?" he questioned lightly. _Maybe her house isn't as good._

"Ah… I don't think Nii-sama is home… I suppose you could."

* * *

He absolutely hated her now. Her house up close and in the dying rays of sunlight looked even better than the night he had snuck over. It looked larger too now that he was standing at the front steps, waiting for Rukia to open the door. While she fumbled with opening the locks, Ichigo absentmindedly asked her questions.

"So why did you come to the movies in the kimono again…?" Ichigo asked with a slight annoyed tone.

"Oh. This kimono requires an hour or so to put on, and I had to attend the performance straight after the movie."

"Oh…"

She finally opened the tall cream doors and stepped inside. Ichigo followed with a slouched back and stiffened when he saw the interior of her house. It was like a rich man's dream… only better.

* * *

"Ichigo-san!" she called out worriedly. Ichigo peeked at her from behind the trunk. He found a particularly nice Sakura tree that he felt like climbing, so here he was, standing on the 2nd highest branch from the ground.

"What is it?" he snapped, clearly annoyed.

"That is Nii-sama's favourite tree! He reads on it daily, do not stand on it, please!" she pleaded. Ichigo rolled his eyes and jumped down, startling her a little. Her eyes widened slightly in worry when he jumped, but when he landed safely, she hesitated before placing a smile on her features.

"So your older brother's favourite spot eh?"

"Yes. He loves to read right on that 3rd highest branch from the top. It's his most dearest spot."

Ichigo raised a brow. _That was just stupid. _They both jumped when they heard a deep voice call out into the household.

"Rukia?" Rukia shooed Ichigo behind the bush and hurriedly sat down on a boulder that bordered a pond, full of red and white koi. She pretended to be looking at herself in the reflection of the clean water that rippled slightly. The footsteps became louder and heavier while Ichigo became stiffer and stiffer. Rukia turned her head to look at the tall man with broad shoulders, cold and piercing blue eyes, long black hair clipped back by Kenseikan, and a business suit that accentuated his muscles quite well.

"Rukia. I trust you have been well?" he said in a monotone.

"Hai. I have been well."

"What is the occasion?" he asked, raising a brow. He was looking down at her kimono. Ichigo squinted his eyes when he could have _sworn _he saw an emotion flash in her eyes. Was it… sadness? Ichigo stared at her questioningly behind his bush.

"Today was another performance for the Hitachi Geisha Tea House, Nii-sama. I would have thought you read my schedule on the fridge so I left no note."

"I am far too busy for that. I apologize for once again not seeing your performance."

_Damn, it was good. You don't know what you've missed out on_.

"There is no need for an apology Nii-sama. I understand how busy you are."

"Good. I shall be eating dinner after I sleep for a few hours or so. Eat without me."

Rukia bowed her head. "Good night brother."

"As to you, Rukia."

He turned around and headed back into the mansion. Rukia let out a large sigh and motioned for Ichigo to arise from the bushes. He stood up and brushed off the leaves on his ass. He headed over to Rukia and gave her a questioning look. Without looking at him, she just sat there, a blank stare present on her face while she stared ahead.

"Yes. That was Nii-sama. Kuchiki Byakuya. I love him with all due respect."

Ichigo looked down on her, his face twisted into a grimace.

_I don't think Karin or Yuzu would love me if __**I **__did that._

"I should get going now." That seemed to snap Rukia out of her reverie, standing up abruptly and looking into his eyes.

"Are you sure you do not want to stay for dinner? Nii-sama is asleep."

"Nah. It's fine." Ichigo and Rukia walked side by side until they reached the front door. Rukia bowed her head to Ichigo who stood outside on the platform before the steps.

"Thanks for showing me around. Your house is pretty neat," he chuckled forcibly.

"I understand my house is slightly more luxurious than others, and I thank you for coming over today. But it is not all that great," she said shyly. "Good night, Ichigo-san."

"Night," he said lazily before she closed the door softly. He glared at the door as soon as she was out of sight, his waving stopped immediately.

She was bloody, _filthy _rich.

And that just gave him another reason to hate her.

* * *

**Author's Note-**

Wow. That chapter was pretty long. I was typing it, and I didn't realise I typed that much;

It may not be SO much, but it's HEAPS compared to what I do normally.

Sorry I've been updating slowly. I have a little trouble with Homework right now. And my yearlies are coming up. DX

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Hanazawa** **High** **School**_. -_ I made it up

**Ano** - Umm

**Kimono** - Japanese traditional dress.

**Geisha** - Member of a professional class of women in Japan whose traditional occupation is to entertain men.

**Maiko** - Geisha in training.

**Shakuhachi** - Bamboo flute that Geishas use.

**Hitachi Geisha Tea house** - Made it up

**Sou** **ka** - I see

**Sakura** - Cherry Blossom

**Kenseikan** - Those hair clips Byakuya wears. Meant for Nobles only.

**Rukia-Chappi-Chan**


	5. She was Athletic

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Dunk. CRACK.

_Well,_ Ichigo mused in his head. _The first sound that actually sounds different for the past 2 hours. _

Kurosaki Ichigo. Was bored. He bounced the tennis ball on the walls and ceiling from his lazy position on the bed, until the ball flew out the window. Ichigo sat up and yawned. He looked over to the alarm clock on the left of his bed and groaned, lying back down with a flop, covering his eyes with his hands.

It was 2:39 am. And Kurosaki Ichigo could not go to sleep. Why? Because a certain black haired girl kept coming into his mind. Her dances and songs would just randomly flutter into his head, distracting him and taunting his sleepy demeanor.

"Bitch…" he muttered. He removed the hands from his eyes and rested his forearm against his forehead.

_Why?! Why must she enter my head every 5 seconds?! _He thought angrily. He sighed loudly and turned onto his side. _Fine, I exaggerated. Every 2 seconds. _He just lay there, staring at the alarm clock with distaste. He sat up and decided to strum his guitar and tune it softly so the other occupants of his house wouldn't wake up. He began to play random tunes and write down some notes that sounded good, but still, the image of that **perfectionist** just kept popping into his head.

Ichigo threw his guitar to the ground, the strings and hollow cavity making a strange strangled cry of some sort. He tossed his body back onto the bed and stared up again. His cheeks tinged red when he remembered her performance at the Hitachi Geisha Tea House. His eyes widened when he immediately realized his face warmed up at the thought of her. He closed his eyes and started to hit himself.

_STUPID! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! _He screamed mentally at himself. For the rest of the night, he had a sleepless fun adventure with his mind.

* * *

"Hey! This is not the weekend anymore! It's Monday, wake up!" Yoruichi called out. She wore soccer shorts and a singlet tee, her hair tied up and tamed by a cap, a black whistle hanging at her neck. The rest of the students that were dressed in their usual blue and white uniform groaned. They had to run 5 laps around the grass soccer field. Rukia, who was leading, was far ahead of everyone, and on her 2nd lap. Yoruichi was running with her, surprised that a student could actually run at the same pace as _the _PE teacher, Shihouin Yoruichi. Of course, Ichigo was an exception when he was bothered, and right now, he was bothered. He ran alongside Rukia who wasn't breaking a sweat.

"Oi, Kurosaki," Yoruichi called. Ichigo glanced at Yoruichi who was slightly ahead of him.

"Nani?" he asked, annoyed. Yoruichi winked at him.

"Have fun with Kuchiki," she sang as she started to run off course and towards the PE staffroom. Ichigo cursed under his breath and caught up with Rukia, running side by side with her. Damn, she could run.

"Eh?" she questioned, suddenly puzzled as to why Ichigo was suddenly there and not Yoruichi. "Ichigo-san, ohayou!" she cheered. Ichigo didn't know why, but that one statement and bubbly smile, made his heart skip a beat, his cheeks heat a tad bit. He looked away.

"Yea yea, whatever," he mumbled. Rukia smiled and continued to sprint at her usual pace. On around the 4th lap, Ichigo glanced at her in the corner of his eye. He was beginning to tire and he had the most massive stitch in his side. His head began to spin while sweat dripped down into his shirt creases from time to time. Rukia… where was Kuchiki Rukia? 5 metres ahead of him, an even level of breathing, sweat-less, and tireless. And she was running at the speed of probably 40km/h.

After finishing their 5th lap, Ichigo dropped to the grass and proceeded to take in deep breaths of much needed air. After a minute or so of breathing, he looked over to his left at how the perfect princess was going. Rage boiled in his stomach when he saw that she wasn't tired at all. She wasn't sweaty either. Heck, she was breathing as if she didn't just run a whole 5 laps of a bloody huge soccer field. She just sat on the bench in the gym calmly, watching the class run through the doors of the gym.

The whistle blew loudly in all their ears, signaling Yoruichi-san was. Not. Happy.

"What the hell was that?!" she began to yell with her cat like fangs protruding from her mouth in a snarl. "It takes you more than half the lesson to run five laps?! Pathetic!" The class looked down in shame, scolded by the teacher like this always. "Next time, I want you all to run at the same pace as Kurosaki and Kuchiki over here, got it?!"

"Yes…"

"Yes who?!"

"Yes Shihouin-san…"

"Good. Now let's play a quick game of Dodgeball to wind this up." Groans were heard all over the gym except from Ichigo who was too busy glaring and Rukia who was just standing there, smiling. Ichigo rolled his eyes and quickly got assorted into a group unexpectedly when Yoruichi dragged his arm and dumped him onto Ishida's side.

"Quick game of Dodgeball, 30 students, 15 on each team, and the division line is the half line right here," Yoruichi yelled clearly, stamping her foot onto the line that divided the whole gym in half. "Last person standing, is clearly not a wimp!" she yelled. The class sweat-dropped. She blew into her whistle, running/skipping to the sidelines. "START!"

A frenzied panic went among the students when they tried to find out who had the ball. Ichigo readied himself on the frontlines, scanning the crowd to see where Rukia on the opposite team was. He didn't have to search any further when he saw Rukia suddenly appeared from in the middle of her team, her body bent and swift, like a basketball player shoving through and shooting the ball straight at Ichigo. He ducked, too close for comfort when the ball just combed his hair and breezed by his shirt and hit Renji in the face.

"I'm sorry!" Rukia exclaimed. Ichigo took that as a distraction and grabbed the ball, shooting it straight at her. Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw her expression of worry somehow flicker into a face of paranoia, hate, and weariness as she eyed the ball in the corner of her eye. She jumped up, making a slam dunk kind of figure as she caught the ball that flew 1 metre up from everybody's head. Ichigo sweat-dropped and blushed as he felt the whole gym's eyes staring at him.

Kurosaki Ichigo. Never _ever_ made a mistake like that. He _never_ gave _anyone _a chance to catch his ball, and he _never_ got out in Dodgeball. No, in Dodgeball, he was king. He could throw the ball and he could dodge the ball. And yet, his ball that was aimed down below was thrown carelessly up high, and _caught_ nonetheless. He grumbled to himself as he sat down on the sidelines for the first time, his eyes trained on one and only one raven-haired beauty.

He watched as one by one, the opposite team to Rukia went down. Kunieda Ryou put up quite a fight, but she too, was struck down. Now with 15 safe people on Rukia's team, they were divided in half again. And then again. And again. And again.

Everyone wasn't surprised when they found Rukia the last person standing. They all clapped and cheered as she smiled and blushed prettily, walking back to the benches the class was sitting on. Ichigo remained speechless as she sat next to him and tied her hair up in a messy ponytail, wiping the sweat off her face bluntly. She wasn't even sweating that much. God. What was with this girl?

"Played ball plenty of times before?" Ichigo asked her quietly. She looked at him and smiled gently, a small pink tinting his cheeks as she did so. He slapped himself mentally and looked away, listening to her response.

"I have many relatives I play with at home, so Dodge ball is definitely crucial to learn with all the little children running around in the house," she laughed lightly. Ichigo just shrugged.

"I only got 2 younger sisters and some cousins, but they ain't really kids."

"Ah."

"Alright, tomorrow, I hope you're aware that your first two periods are cancelled because the juniors are doin' some shit, right?" Yoruichi grinned. The class glanced at each other and nodded warily.

"Yea...."

"Guess what you're doin in that time?" she said proudly. They looked around to see if anyone had an idea.

"No…"

"Double period of PE!!! Yay!!!!!" she squealed. The whole class groaned while some fainted. "And, on the plus side, your PE is at third period too. So there's 3 periods of PE!" Now all students fainted. Yoruichi growled and kicked at some of the bodies.

"Get up, it ain't that bad, ya lazy ass holes." Rukia just smiled and laughed kindly at the class while Ichigo that was sitting next to her just rolled his eyes. Renji and Ikkaku nudged each other and sent looks over to Ichigo's way. They snickered and laughed, gaining Ichigo's attention.

"What are _you _dumbshits laughin' about?!" Ichigo snapped. They cracked up, earning a kick from Ichigo. He stalked away on his tall, lean legs and glared at the black haired girl, every once in a while. As he left to the change rooms, Orihime smiled and asked her a particular question Rukia did not hesitate in answering.

"Kuchiki-san, do you have any younger siblings at home?" Rukia laughed and shook her head.

"No, in fact, I am the youngest person in the Kuchiki family! The other members of the Kuchiki family are respectable elders," she replied kindly.

* * *

God dammit. She was _good_. The first period of PE was to assess you on your acrobatic skills. Easy enough. Of course, Ichigo was the king of everything. Easy as that.

Looked like the king however, was forced to step down. The whole class was too amazed to even pick up their fallen apparatus from the floor as they watched the gymnastic goddess perform her tricks that captured everyone in her spell, her beauty, and her unending talent accompanied with the soft pop music directing her moves. And to think, this was _on-the-spot_ choreography that included dancing, flying, flipping, stretching, and all such things that just made the class speechless. Toshiro whistled low. He looked over to Ichigo and smirked, as he realized said boy was actually close to drooling. He might as well drool with the eyes he's been training on her. He and the others were not stupid. Ichigo was falling in love with her. His denial was just abnormally strong and came in the form of pretense 'Hate'.

He smirked and nudged Ikkaku. He jerked out of his stupor and looked towards the direction Toshiro was smirking at. He snickered at the sight and laughed. He caught the attention of Renji and Yumichika, and they both gave a smirk of some sort that required all their face muscles not to laugh.

"Lover boy!" Renji called out loudly. Ichigo immediately turned around, falling for the trick. The guys cracked up loudly, making him blush wildly. Luckily, the class was too busy being distracted by the perfect performance. He went over and tackled them all, causing the 5 of them to fall down onto the gym mats.

When they heard clapping and whistling, they all raised their heads to look at the scene. It appeared Kuchiki Rukia had finished her performance.

She looked left and was confused to see so many people crowding around her at once.

"That was amazing!"

"Where do you learn this?!"

"Kuchiki-san, you're the best!"

"You really are perfect, aren't you!?"

That last comment did it. That _really _set the fire off in Ichigo. He stopped listening to the shower of compliments that rained upon her and walked over to his side of the gym doing stretches and such, not really bothering to participate with the class activities. He groaned and closed off his ears when he heard even _Yoruichi _compliment her. So what if she could do gym and run really well and play dodge ball and maintain her stamina?! Ichigo bet she couldn't play proper sport games.

* * *

Oh _fuck_.

Come on, did she really have to be good at _everything?!_

Basketball

Rukia's team – 38

Ichigo's team – 12

Soccer

Rukia's team – 16

Ichigo's team – 2

Volleyball

Rukia's team – 37

Ichigo's team - 25

Ichigo collapsed on the ground from all the continuous games the class had been playing. God damn little ms. Perfect.

He'd show her. Oh, he'd _show_ her. He looked over to the girl that was haunting his mind and cursed silently as she smiled at her cheering teammates, her light sheen of sweat making her skin glisten in the light of the gymnasium. He blushed lightly when she made eye contact at him and smiled, waving lightly. He scoffed and turned around on his spot. He glanced back as disappointment settled in his stomach when she looked away to talk to Orihime and Momo.

* * *

Ichigo-san?"

_Crap._ Ichigo stood up from the bush he was crouching in and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He had just been caught practically _stalking _Rukia. She blinked at him innocently.

"What were you doing behind that bush, Ichigo-san?"

"Err…" Ichigo looked around as he tried to think of an excuse. He looked down and saw his wallet had fallen out of his pocket.

_Think fast._

"Oh! There it is! Sorry bout that, Rukia, I was tryin' to find my wallet," he said confidently, tossing it up with one hand while scratching the back of his head with the other. She cocked her head to the side.

"So you dropped it 27 streets ago while I was on my way home? In every bush?"

_Fuck. _

"Uh… Yea… the pest kept dropping out…" he chuckled nervously. God dammit, she wasn't gonna believe that! A silence hung in the air for a moment, before she smiled with her eyes closed, and head tilted to the side.

"Ok!"

_Does she really have to be that cute? -_

_WHOA WHOA WHOA ROMEO! WHERE'S THIS COMING FROM?! _His mind screamed after its little comment. Ichigo looked down to the ground and kicked a few rocks here and there, a little red creeping into his cheek colour.

"Do you, uh… want me to… walk you home?" he asked. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Ok. Are you sure it won't be much of a bother though?" she asked gently, just to make sure. Ichigo nodded furiously, the red in his cheeks brightening.

_God dammit, what the fuck is wrong with you Ichigo Kurosaki. _

"So…" Ichigo began, trying to make a bit of conversation.

"Yes?" the girl at his side nonchalantly replied.

"Uh, you live around here?" _Smooth Kurosaki, what the hell's it to you?!_

"Yes, I do. Quite close actually." Ichigo nodded and looked around to avoid looking at her.

What was happening to him?! Why was he blushing, why was he nervous and why oh _why_ did he call her cute?! No way in hell would he fall in love with her. Nah, it's not love. More like a tiny little attraction towards-

Ok, stuff that.

Kurosaki Ichigo was falling in love with little Ms. Perfect.

He shook his head and sighed. So much for hating her. He shook his head again, this time with more vigor.

_No way Kurosaki,_ he thought angrily. _You aren't gonna fall in love with her. At all. You hate her. She's trying to be perfect. No one is. Remember? You thought __**she**__ was perfect, but all good things come to an end. _He nodded, satisfied with the nervousness and blushing gone. _Good._

He glanced left to look at her, and noticed there was a park there, right beside her. He watched the park for a few more moments before recognizing it. His eyes widened, immediately stinging with the burning sensation that begged to be released. Hot, wet tears just waiting to be shed hung dangerously close to his eyelashes, blurring his vision and replacing them with empty memories that are never to be relived.

"_Ichigo! Hurry up, we have to go now!"_

He slowly walked to the small playground that was deserted in the setting sun's light. His hand unconsciously rose up, trying to reach out and maybe, just _maybe_, he could relive that one memory, just a bit older with an older but still beautiful woman. Rukia's voice reached deaf ears as she tried to call out to the young man, trying to break him out of his stupor that was leaving him crying.

"_A little longer mom!"_

He stood in the centre of the playground, his hand slowly and painfully caressing the swing set. The strong metal poles, the rusting chains, the black rubbery leather seats, the imaginary wafting scent of frangipani and vanilla mixed with a hint of strawberry. He closed his eyes, tears now trailing down his cheeks and onto his abandoned schoolbag that lay at his feet, released from the tight grip that held it moments ago. The wind ruffled him slightly, making him shiver as he remembered so long ago.

When she was still alive.

"_Ichigo!" _

He smiled faintly in pain. He could still hear her voice, clear as day. He could smell her, a sharp hit to his senses.

Rukia stood behind him, her skirt and hair waving in the wind, her eyes a mysterious blue-purple, that held sadness for the poor boy. She knew that look, that pose, this setting. After all… what are you to do, when you witnessed the death of a young boy's mother?

* * *

**Author's Note -**

T.T

I fail as being a fanfiction author. I just practically ABANDONED this story and Hollow!!

*wails*

I have gotten so lazy, and lately no inspiration at all has got me to continue them! But I won't give up, I will still continue to write the two stories, and more to come! It's just that I have a really bad habit of getting new ideas and starting new fanfics, so as soon as Hollow and A Flaw in the Glass are finished, there is more to come! Here are the summaries so as to not make you guys wait too long. Heheh... Sorry so much for being lazy! I shall try HARDER this time now to update Hollow :)

**Nani** - What

**Ohayou** - Morning

(**Summaries may change**)

**Dance with Me -**

Of course, reluctantly attending a rich person's birthday party has you in a sour mood, especially when you're attending by force. You'd think, after this party, I bet nothing would have changed, and I'd probably just hate this one night of my life. But This one night, changed my whole life. -IchiRuki-

**He's hers, She's yours, You're Mine -**

Her hand left his own the moment he tried to console her, confront her. She began to walk past him when he grabbed for her. He missed. He stood there and watched as she walked away with tears. What could he do? There was nothing to be done. He couldn't do anything. She was gone. _It was over. -_IchiRuki- temporary RenRuki / IchiHime

**You + Me + Him -**

Normally, family relatives don't follow you everywhere you go with your love. First dates, Weddings, Honeymoons, New houses, New lives, yeah, that thing. No matter how protective they are, they just **don't**. It's against the law of the kids and parents law book. So what happens when a certain older brother in law decides to break every single one of them? -IchiRuki-


	6. Hold You, Hold Me

Just a small note, ** means flashback

:)

* * *

Ichigo closed his eyes once again and let his tears fall down his cheek slowly, one by one, with the speed rapidly increasing. He stood there, hands clenched by his sides, head hung down low, and his chin brushing his chest. The gentle sound of waves crashing against rocks were heard in the distance, the beach of Karakura settled right under them where a railing forbade the children to fall to their horrible sandy death.

Minutes of silence passed by until Rukia gently set her bag onto the ground and slowly walked over to where Ichigo stood, her shoes crunching against the ground. When she stood right behind him, for once in her life as a perfect role model student;

Kuchiki Rukia was speechless.

She decided to use actions instead of words and slowly wrapped her arms around his torso, her tears coming down with his own. Her tears left stains on his shirt that went unnoticed as he held her hand with his right and continued to cry silently in the sunlight with his crush's arms wrapped around him. His grip tightened when the voices of the past haunted him again.

_**MOM!**_

His mouth twisted into a grimace as the bloody smell of copper came back to his nose.

_**No words left her mouth as she tried to speak.**_

Ichigo heard a muffled I'm sorry from the girl clinging onto him. He rubbed the scar on the back of his head tenderly, more tears threatening to fall.

**

9 year-old Rukia smiled happily as she swung up and down on the baby swing that had a chain in front of her stomach to prevent her from flying out. Her older sister Hisana smiled brightly at her, facing her front as she pushed Rukia's legs to make her go higher as the young girl commanded.

It was sunset, the sun wavering in the distance one last time before slowly sinking in to the inevitable night that was to come. Rukia forcefully stretched herself so that her toes could brush the ground, slowing down her swings. Hisana noticed this and gave one last bright smile before wiping the sweat off her forehead. Rukia finally unclasped the chain and stumbled off, into her sister's grasp. Hisana held her tight and laughed as Rukia started to scream in joy and laughter at her older sister swinging her around like a helicopter.

After settling down with giggles, Hisana bent down to one knee and looked eye to eye with Rukia.

"Rukia… it's time to go home now," she began. Rukia's eyes widened and she shook her head furiously.

"No!"

"Rukia-"

"No!! Hisa-nee!!" Rukia protested. Hisana laughed as Rukia suddenly scampered off into the small, cylindrical tunnel coloured red. She peeked from her small hiding spot and glared at her sister. Her glare held the same fierce and intensifying danger as her older brother in law. Hisana laughed. She glanced at the setting sun and saw it was sinking dangerously low behind the city scrapers. There was a boy and his mother playing around but it looked as if they were about to leave too.

Hisana smiled at Rukia and bent down to eye level with the tunnel-engulfed Rukia.

"Tell you what. If you don't come, then me and Byaku-nii are gonna eat all the cookies and milk!"

That one statement had Kuchiki Rukia run out of the tunnel like she was chasing after her life. Hisana laughed and ran ahead of her sister to call her husband in secret to buy cookies. At first, Rukia was upset that Hisana beat her in running but she cared less right now. She just wanted those cookies.

Unbeknownst to the two, as Rukia ran by a 9-year-old boy with fiery orange hair, slow motion seemed to ensue as she brushed past him in a gentle manner. She stopped at the park bench where her sister sat, just finished talking to someone on the phone. The young boy noticed nothing as he walked with his mom to the traffic crossing lights, while he carried 5 heavy plastic bags and his mother carried 9.

"Ichigo, are you sure you can carry those yourself?" Masaki asked lovingly. Ichigo puffed his chest out and held the plastic bags high up, his elbows making a straight line with his shoulders.

"Of course momma! My name means number 1 protector, so I'll protect you from pain!" he exclaimed, trembling all the while. His mother laughed and they waited patiently at the traffic crossing. Though there were no cars, they were forced to wait for the WALK sign. Ichigo looked up at his mom, confused. "Momma, why don't we just go? There aren't any cars…"

His mother smiled down at him. "Honey, you have to wait, other wise you won't know if a car will speed by or something and hit us! So, at all times when crossing the road, we must be careful." Ichigo nodded and faced the road again, waiting for the light to turn blue.

**So what would happen if you crossed 'accidentally'?**

Hisana ran ahead of her sister again, challenging Rukia to a race home. Racing 10 metres ahead of Rukia was her sister, as Rukia's small legs couldn't carry her as fast as skinny, agile Hisana. Once again, time slowed down as Rukia's shoulder had bumped into the boy she saw at the park earlier. She turned around in a second, in a reality that actually felt like ages, as she watched the young boy topple. He fell, eyes wide with surprise as he landed on his mother, causing her body to propel forward heavily with the force and weight of the grocery bags pushing her further onto the road.

Both children were forced to watch as a car sped straight for the woman.

**

The gentle crashing of waves against cliff had soothed their ears from the deadly ring of silence. Only Rukia's muffled sobs could be heard. Ichigo's grip on her hand tightened to the point of where pain was inflicted on the poor girl. But she could care less. How could you care after being the reason of 3 innocent people's lives being taken? Of course you would care. You'd feel a monster. But at the moment, let's wallow in the guilt of killing _one_ person, and wallow in self-pity with _added_ guilt later on the verge of insanity, after killing three people.

Let's save that guilt for later.

And tell you why this guilt should come first.

"I never thought…" she hiccupped in between sobs. "You were _that_ boy…" Ichigo's red eyes opened, more tears still falling. He stared blankly at the ground, and then at the hands that were clasped at his front. "I always wanted… to say sorry to that boy… I always… wanted to beg for forgiveness."

The cool night air began to sway slightly, brushing against the tears of the boy and girl, making them ever so slightly _cold_.

"I never ever wanted something like that to happen again… Never. I wanted to find that boy…" Ichigo closed his eyes tightly. "I wanted to find him and beg on my knees if I had to, _anything_," she paused. "Just so he would forgive me."

_Well you found that boy,_ Ichigo thought bitterly. _And begging for forgiveness won't bring her back. _But he found himself upset when the arms around his torso had let go. His eyes widened in shock when he heard a sudden drop and the dirt under his feet crunching. He turned around to find her on the ground, hands pressed to her forehead, body bent in a bowing position.

Kuchiki Rukia, the richest and most _perfect_ person in the world-

Was on her knees, begging for forgiveness.

Her gasping voice could barely be heard, but to Ichigo's well-trained ears, her voice was as clear as crystal.

"I'm so sorry. It was my entire fault your mother died. I give you permission to hit me, kick me, inflict harm on me, even _kill_ me, even if it just makes you the tiniest fraction better," she sobbed. "Even if it doesn't make you feel all better, even if it just makes you the tiniest bit happier, just the _tiniest_ bit, I allow you to do anything to me."

She whispered the last part so softly, Ichigo had to strain his ears.

"I don't deserve to live. Punish me." Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

So he did what he thought all teenagers would do in his place.

He nudged her with his foot, and called her name, demanding her to stand up. She didn't budge. He nudged harder. His voice came out as a harsh command. He kicked at her shoulder and she let out a small cry of pain, trying to muffle it as best as she could.

"Get the fuck up!" he yelled. "I don't see why _you're _making such a fucking big fuss about this, when this was all _my_ fault, how was it _yours?!_"

**

Ichigo didn't know what to think. But he watched, he _saw_ everything, every tiny little miniscule detail as the car had hit his mom. The back of his head was bleeding, cut open from when he fell backwards, multiple bruises on his body from the heavy shopping bags that toppled on top of him. Not to mention that little girl who bumped into him. Silence met his ears when the car sped straight towards his mother, his heartbeat thumping loud enough for him to hear.

_If only I were stronger_.

_If only I were not so childish… if only we left earlier… if only I was strong enough to not topple over and push mom… if only this, if only __**that**__, just IF!!_

His heart thumped loudly one last time, before finally hearing the sounds of reality crashing down on him, the screeching of wheels, the crash of a body against car.

_If only I could protect momma like I said I would._

Screams were heard as Hisana had watched from afar, hands reached up to her face in pure terror. Rukia's eyes were wide in horror, as she witnessed and provoked something that should never have been seen or done by a 9-year-old child. Ichigo watched in equal horror to the girl as his mother lay on the ground, bleeding. High heels clacked furiously on the ground as Hisana ran towards the woman and driver, calling the ambulance all the while.

Ichigo raced over to his mom, ignoring the shots of pain that flew through his body, and especially on his head. His heart raced in his chest, hurting his rib cage as he dropped down to his knees and began to scream for his mother.

His screams were barely heard.

**

He stopped kicking at her slightly bruised body and panted. Her small sobs overtook her sentence in the form of hiccupping.

"Not long after your mother's stay in the recuperation unit of the hospital, my sister went in too."

Ichigo stood still, listening intently.

"We heard your mother had a small possible chance of surviving. And that your mother could only live with a blood transplant. So my sister tried to give blood."

Ichigo suddenly started to feel the guilt he felt when the girl on the ground cried practically a waterfall.

"She gave so much blood, and not once, did she blame me for Masaki-san's death. Not once…" she trailed off. She choked back another sob and continued. "When your mother died, we attended her funeral and yet, my sister was terribly ill, so she remained in the hospital ward."

She suddenly let out strangled cries.

"I really didn't want to break it to you Ichigo, I really didn't want to be the one!"

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"I swear I didn't!"

**

Rukia shed many silent tears as she held Hisana's hand in her left and Byakuya's in her right. Her small black dress that was so cute and frilly brought her down even more as she remembered the reason she bought it. Hisana wore a black, feminine kimono while Byakuya wore a suit. The funeral for Kurosaki Masaki was over, and it was a very sad one at that. With such a loved one dying so suddenly like that, it was unexpected, and twice as overwhelming.

But alas, another soul was destined to rest early too.

Kuchiki Hisana was diagnosed with breast cancer, a cancer that spread to her body mysteriously from Kurosaki Masaki's body. Rukia was devastated. Her small accident had led to a chain of death.

Hisana told her so many times not to blame herself but how could she not?

Rukia trained her eyes to stay on the ground until they had reached the limo that was acquired to take them back to the hospital for one more check up to estimate the date with death for her sister. Except Rukia didn't think this date would have any romance in it, and it would last a _long_ time.

She held her sister's hand tightly in the limo ride, thinking about her actions. Except thinking wouldn't help her go back in time and save her sister, or that young boy's mother.

Rukia blamed the stupid doctors too. What the hell was the point of returning old blood back? After giving what the doctors said was a copious amount of blood, they decided to give it back after it ran through the veins of the dead woman, Kurosaki Masaki. And the dead woman had cancer in her veins. Rukia found herself at fault for those two deaths, and the closing off of her brother.

Of course, a nine year old like her shouldn't have felt so bad, but she understood perfectly well.

**

"Your mother was going to die later on anyway Ichigo…" she said, half wailing and half sobbing, the honorific at the end of his name totally forgotten. "She was diagnosed with cancer. That cancer passed from your mother, to _my_ sister! I'm sorry!" she cried out from the ground. Ichigo stared down at her.

Either way, it seemed like fate hated his mother, and cursed her from the living.

Cancer, or car, either way she'd die. Ichigo knelt down and grabbed her hand gently. She looked up, her face tearstained much like his own. But his tears had dried now.

No more would he cry. He just seemed to find strength from her suddenly. He pulled her up gently, and she closed her eyes once standing, his hands on either side of her facing, thumbs moving gently up and down to brush the tears away. She opened them again when they were dry, and he smiled gently at her.

Never, in his life, did he think someone was so perfect.

After his mother of course.

But he reminded himself-

Perfection never lasted.

He held her body close to his and gently ran his hands through her hair, her small arms wrapped around his figure, seeking comfort.

She was covered in dirt, tears stained her cheeks, she confessed killing two people and though Kurosaki Ichigo was trying so hard to find a flaw in her, and he witnessed many today-

He decided to let her off and not count them as flaws.

Maybe another time.

"It wasn't your fault at all Rukia…" he whispered to her. She held on tighter and mumbled into his shirt.

"But I pushed you and then she fell…"

"For now, let's not blame ourselves. After all… 9 year olds couldn't have possibly done these kinds of things… right?" A silence hung in the small space left between the two.

"But we did."

Ichigo chose to ignore that statement that was so true, and held her closer.

_Why can't you understand I just need someone to hold right now?_

She never bothered to mention the third person she had killed.

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note -**

I'm so sorry! I have taken like, FOREVER to update this story! But to be honest, I didn't really find the motivation to write this story, since I'm working on a few others. I'm sorry!

This chapter wasn't as good as i hoped it would've been, and I hope your day isn't too down reading some crap chapter like this.

I will try to do better on the next chapter!

**Rukia-Chappi-Chan**


End file.
